AUGUST 2017 Talk of The Towers The Towers of Jacksonville * 1400 Le Baron Ave Jacksonville FL 32207 *(904)398-3406*(904)398-8080* FL Relay 711 The Art of Art Appreciation Celebrating August Read-a-Romance Novel Month What Will Be Your Legacy? Month International Clown Week August 1 7 Twins Days August 4 6 Lighthouse Day August 7 Social Security Day August 14 Bad Poetry Day August 18 Kiss and Make Up Day August 25 Love Litigating Lawyers Day August 31 August 11 is Worldwide Art Day, so whether you paint, draw, sculpt, take photographs, play a musical instrument, write, or dance, this is a day to revel in the beauty of art. For centuries, people have asked, What is art? Early critics believed that art was simply imitation a painting of a flower or sculpture of a dancer but art is much more than that. It is the application of human skill and imagination to create something wholly new, a work of beauty and harmony, a revelation of truth, a connection of feeling and self-expression. Truly, art is as diverse as its makers. So what is art? You ll know it when you see it and may surprise yourself when you make it. While not everyone may be a famous artist, anyone can create art. And August 8 is the Date to Create. We consume every day: we eat food, watch television, and buy clothes and other goods. This is the day to not be a consumer but a creator. Creation is the bringing of something new into existence, and it is an empowering experience. Whether you paint a masterpiece or build a makeshift centerpiece out of tissue paper and empty bottles, your creation will take on a life of its own as a form of creative self-expression. If you re still looking for inspiration as an artist, you can spend the month of August enjoying the work of others, for August is American Artist Appreciation Month. Georgia O Keeffe painted flowers. Norman Rockwell illustrated idyllic scenes of American life. Aaron Douglas created inspiring murals. And these are just visual artists. There is an endless wealth of writers, singers, and dancers to awe and inspire you. Are you intimidated by art? Does visiting a museum or jazz club scare you? Just as creating art is an individual expression, enjoying art is also a personal experience. There are no right or wrong ways to enjoy art. If you d rather stay at home, then grab your box of crayons and a coloring book on August 2, Coloring Book Day. For many, this type of artistic expression is just the right fit.
Forest Friends Orangutans may be found in only two places in the world, but the entire world will celebrate International Orangutan Day on August 19. These large, gentle apes are some of humankind s closest relatives, sharing not just 97% of their DNA with us, but also possessing the ability to reason and think. It s no wonder that the indigenous people of Indonesia and Malaysia named these magnificent creatures orang hutan, meaning person of the forest. They were believed to be humans who hid from slaveowners in the trees. Of the four great apes gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans orangutans are unique in that they come from Asia, while all the others come from Africa. There are two species of orangutan: the Bornean orangutan from the jungles of the island of Borneo (shared by Malaysia and Indonesia), and the Sumatran orangutan from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Both of these subspecies distinguish themselves from the other great apes because they live primarily in the trees. They climb, travel, and build sleeping nests high in the canopy. Their feet are designed like hands for climbing. Their flexible hips allow them to swivel in any direction. Long, strong arms make it easy to grasp faraway branches. When on the ground, orangutans are clumsy and awkward. Like most spectacular big animals, orangutans are endangered, primarily due to the destruction of their homes for lucrative palm oil plantations. Currently 40,000 orangutans are believed to inhabit the forests of Borneo and Sumatra. This may sound like a lot, but it takes many years to rear young orangutan. Babies stay with their mothers until six years of age and sometimes into their teens. For this reason, female orangutans give birth only about once every eight years, the longest time between births of any animal on Earth. The time is now to celebrate and protect this rare and beautiful creature. August Birthdays Lewis Tramell 8/2 Denis Malcolm 8/4 Catherine Swigget 8/5 Joe Dupuis 8/8 Mike Leatherwood 8/8 Robert Phillips 8/11 Nancy Hagen 8/14 Gilbert House 8/15 Margarita Markosova 8/17 Betty Maynard 8/18 Virginia Marshall 8/28 Frances Crawford 8/30 George Mazes 8/31 First in Flight? Orville and Wilbur Wright are widely credited for inventing modern powered flight in 1903 on the sandy beaches of Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. The story of German aviator Gustave Whitehead throws a wrench into the gears of this lauded history. Whitehead emigrated to America in the late 1800s and spent much of his adult life building and experimenting with airplanes. His supporters claim that he performed the first powered flight on August 14, 1901, two years before the Wright brothers. When, in 1935, the magazine Popular Aviation published an article detailing the possibility of Whitehead s achievement, experts set out to verify these claims but no hard evidence was ever discovered.
From the Resident Association On behalf of each of the Officers of the Residents Association, I greet you with heartfelt wish for an APPRECIATIVE AUGUST! On a more personal note, I express to you my sincere desire to help encourage and uplift those among us who are experiencing feelings of disappointment, sadness and even anger to a degree, over the changes taking place here at The Towers of Jacksonville. My desire has prompted me to share the following advice which has helped me to overcome challenging times in the past, and still serves me well to this day. SING! (You say; Do WHAT & WHY )? Here s the answer... PEOPLE DON T SING BECAUSE THEY RE HAPPY, THEY RE HAPPY BECAUSE THEY SING! It works for me and others who have shared their testimony after following the practice. (Hint:) It s especially effective when the singer is not the only one who is listening and more importantly, absorbing the WORDS of the SONG. Here are a few suggestions that are, without a doubt, designed to encourage and uplift us: (1) Accentuate The Positive, Eliminate The Negative... Spread joy up to the maximum, bring gloom down to the minimum. (2) High Hopes & Hopefully, we remember these lyrics from our childhood.. once there was a little ol ant who moved a rubber tree plant, not to mention the ram that punched a hole in the dam! I d like to think that many of us benefited from the following words that intended to help us get through some sleepless nights. (3) When you re worried and you can t sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you ll fall asleep counting your blessings. One more tune that the music world has produced more recently than the aforementioned, gives off even more good vibes.(4) Don t Worry, Be Happy... In every life we have some trouble. When you worry you make it double. SO, what do you say? GO AHEAD, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS and give the advice a try! From Maintenance For all work orders please call the reception Desk 398-3406 and please avoid stopping maintenance in the hall. We need to track all work orders to insure the get done. Moving forward all work orders should be done within 24 to 48 hours. Anything past that time, feel free to call and check on the status. Reminder: Please do not put anything down your toilet except toilet paper. PEST CONTROL Normal Pest Control has resumed. If you have any issues with pests, Please contact the Reception Desk to have service scheduled for your apartment. Thank you!! Jo & Janice I think you ll find (as I do) that the words of wisdom in song will resonate in your mind which in turn has the extreme possibility of sending the message directly to you heart to help make you feel truly encouraged and uplifted. In the meantime, as we speak before the singing begins, let s do our best to allow only wholesome words to come out of our mouths to encourage and uplift those around us. Once again in closing, my heartfelt wish for.. Grace & Peace to all! Cheryl Barker, Secretary